News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-04-28
NAMES BIGGEST SCHOONER.
Launching a Mammoth Vessel at
Bath-The Second Largest of her
Glass.

A few years ago, when the first three
masted schooners Of from 800 to SUI
tons were built in Maine, the old-time
masters and builders, used to fore-eDd-
alters of only 900 or 800 tons, shook
their heads disparagingly and declared
/ that people were going crazy, and when
| these vessels were followed later by
! four-masters Of 1000 tons and upward,
! they ridiculed both vessel and builder.
! Now, when a four-masted schooner OF
nearly 1000 tons has been launched, the
ancient mariners are lost in amazement,
and are asking each other where this
sort OF thing--Tifl end, and what Will be
| the limit of size.
There was launched ct Bath a few
DAYS ago the largest schooner-rigged
sailing vessel but one atiOat. She is the
T. A. Lambert, OF feet tonnage length,
As feet beam, %. l feet hold, and /, 5S8. "a
net tons. She has q tremendously heavy
! frame, and is fastened as heavy as q
whaler. Her lower masts are each 1l2
| feet long, and her spars III proportion,
SO that one may readily imagine the
amount of sail she can spread. She Is
| estimated to have a carrying capacity OF
! $500 tons; so that with any decent sort
of business and despatch, her freight
money for a season in the coal, ice, and
hard-pine trade must figure up some
thing handsome.
Here is a schooner larger than the
majority of ships and barks, and with
| q greater prOportionate carrying capacity
than the square-riggers, which, on &C
count of her simple rig, requires but
half the crew of the latter, and much
less expenditure for sails and rigging,
and which, if the coaSting or West
India business is dull, can go into deep
water trades, as did the four-masted
Haroldine, built at North Weymouth,
Mass, few years ago. The crew of
such vessel are relieved of the heavier
drudgery by steam engine placed for
ward, and their foreclstle is generally a
parlOr compared with those of small
craft.
The exigancies of the times have
called the monster schooners into ex-
istence, and they have come to stay.
They are cheaply built, economically
sailed, great carriers, and fast sailers, 50
their popularity is not to be wondered
at. Quite number of schoOners rang
ing from 900 tons upward are now being
constructed in Maine yards, and prepare
tions are being made for the building, at
Camden, of four-master of twelve to
thirteen hundred tons, modelled some
thing after the King Philip, launched at
that place last fall. Freights may be low
and business dull, but Maine is State OF
sailors and builders, and if they can't get
a living in ordinary sized craft they are
bound to do it in big fellows, which can
carry as much in one trip as whole
mosquito feet.
AS to the limit of size, as ships have
increased from 800 tons in the early daye
to 5000 tons to-day without exciting
any great wonder, nobody need be sur
prised to see tbs old coasting schooner
of 200 tons succeeded in the near future
by fiye-master OF. 2, 900 tons.
some newspapers have reported the
7. A. Lambert to be the largest schooner
afoat. This is mistake. The largest
vessel of this class is the fve-master
Golden Age, 1,763 tons, built at Brides
Bridge, Ohio, some years ago. The
Lambert ranks next.